On Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Brief Amicus Curiae of the Family Research Council in Support of Petitioners Addressing the Merits and Supporting Reversal

INTEREST OF AMICUS CURIAE*

The Family Research Council (FRC) was founded in 1983 as an organization dedicated to the promotion of marriage and family and the sanctity of human life in national policy. Through publications, media appearances, public events, debates and testimony, FRC's team of policy experts reviews data and analyzes Congressional and executive branch proposals that affect the family. FRC also strives to assure that the unique attributes of the family are recognized and respected in the decisions of courts and regulatory bodies.

FRC champions marriage and family as the foundation of civilization, the source of virtue and the wellspring of society. Believing that God is the author of life, liberty and the family, FRC promotes the Judeo-Christian world view as the basis for a just, free and stable society. Consistent with its mission statement, FRC is committed to strengthening traditional families in America.

FRC publicly supported the successful effort to adopt Proposition 8, as well as similar amendments in other States. FRC, therefore, has a particular interest in the outcome of this case. Recognition of same-sex marriages would not promote either of the principal interests on the basis of which opposite-sex marriage is a protected institution - channeling procreative sexual activity into a stable cultural environment in which the children so procreated may be raised and providing the benefits of dual-gender parenting. And, for the reasons set forth herein, nothing in the Constitution, properly understood, compels such recognition. Accordingly, the judgment of the court of appeals should be reversed.